Southampton at 9.20am having got slightly lost travelling around Southampton...even though we followed the AA route directions to the letter. Either way having scoured every map of the area possible we saw a sign pointing for the West Quay and headed in that general direction. We stayed in the Holiday Inn, Southampton (not to be confused with the Express Holiday Inn). I had called them direct in 2006 and asked what deals they had for a one night stay. They quoted £103 for the room Bed & Breakfast. Dinner was quoted as £30 if I remember....so I asked if they had any deals including Dinner. I was offered Dinner for £1 in another special offer so we got Dinner, Bed & Breakfast in an Executive Room for £104. Maps of Southampton & the Port.. For those staying in the Holiday Inn, Southampton (not Holiday Inn Express)...the hotel is situated on the map to the "right" end of Herbert Walker Avenue (look for the little roundabout and its not far from there! Tab the bottom right arrow on the map twice and you'll see the ship icon - its around that area.) It is adjacent to the Mayflower Park, hence its wonderful views of the Navigator at the City Terminal. We couldnt have been more delighted with the hotel. From the outside it looks nothing more than a 70's style office block but inside it is clean and comfortable and the staff were very friendly and welcoming. The first thing they ask is "are you going on a cruise?"...and then they tell you all about the ship and how she looks etc. It goes without saying that the location for the Navigator terminal is superb. If you look at this photo (right) of the view from our hotel window, you will see a square arch on the left of the picturel. That is the entrance to the Navigator of the Seas dock! We couldnt have chosen an hotel nearer to the Terminal. There were no ships in port that day and every time we looked out of the window we couldn't wait to see that big space filled with the NOS! We had been told by the receptionist that our rooms wouldn't be ready until 1.00pm so they offered to store our luggage safely away until then. We had coffee in the lounge, to wake us up, and waited for my parents to arrive, which they duly did at 10.30am. I checked with Rachel on reception that we had been given a sea view room. She acknowledged that we had, and I simply asked if we would be able to see the Navigator in the morning. "Oh no....that Terminal is on the OTHER side" she said. She typed away on her keyboard and quickly swapped our rooms over! "Now you'll see her" she said "and you have a top floor room as requested for a good view". Review Tip: The hotel are very keen to please. If money allows get an Executive Room on a high floor and stipulate you want to see the Navigator. For those of you that need last minute shopping the Shopping Centre is within walking distance of the hotel, about 5-10 minutes walk. It has book shops, John Lewis, Body Shop, Marks & Spencers...the list goes on. There is also a Boots but this is separate to the centre but only next door. Mum had forgotten to bring one of her prescriptions and the lady at the chemist counter in Boots was most helpful and reissued the meds to her. The shops are quite comprehensive so if you forget anything I am sure you can get it here. We took a walk through the park opposite the hotel before dinner and sat and watched the activity in the port.We ate dinner in the dining room which was good. They had yet another offer on giving us a free glass of wine each. The food was really much better than we had anticipated it would be. The service is very nice and personal, there is a bar and a lounge area if you dont want to stay in your rooms. We were all very pleased with the food and service and the general layout of the hotel. The De Vere Hotel is opposite and looked nice from outside but we wouldnt have swapped our view of the Terminal or proximity to the entrance for ANYTHING! After a night of broken sleep through too much excitement (and getting out of bed to look out of the window and see whether NOS was in yet!), we finally woke woke at 5.30am to see the Navigator of the Seas docked outside our bedroom window. We made tea and sat staring out of the floor to ceiling windows at her for about an hour. At about 6.30am people started to disembark. We went to my parents room next door at about 7am and when we went into their room my dad had his binoculars out already!
out, re-packed the car and headed for the terminal. My parents were going to get a cab as we couldnt fit everyone and all the luggage into the car but instead they chose to walk to the terminal. We were let through the Terminal gates at 11.30am. By the time we had unloaded the luggage, parked the car and walked to the Terminal it was about 11.45am. We went to the priority check in desk, picked up our sea passes and went to find a seat to wait for embarkation. We had only been seated for about 5 mins when an announcement said that RCI were happy to report that they were able to board guests and hour earlier than anticipated. Thus at 12.00pm we were heading up the gangway and onto the ship......and I am not exaggerating when I say my mother was charging ahead like a woman possessed to get onboard! |
| Holiday Inn, Herbert Walker Avenue, Southampton |
| Waking up to the Navigator! & Embarkation |
| Southampton Holiday Inn, Shopping & Embarkation! |
- The entrance to the port is literally a few paces from the
hotel's front door - infact my parents walked through and we
took the cases in the car (we didnt have room for both!!!).
The personnel on the gate a very friendly and point you in the
right direction. All in all it couldnt have been easier for us.
